Used to be the Trying Woodsman... as derived from the Flying Dutchman...
In this blog I'll post my outdooradventures and other things related to this topic...but I decided to expand my blogposts and topics to include homesteading, self reliance and all things related. Global and social developments on enviromental issues and associated economic or political issues... They'll all find a place too, somehow.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

The police - your friend in need?

No, this will not be a rant against law enforcement, because I got a ticket or something. And this has nothing to do with woodsbumming or homesteading or what not, but it is something that has been bugging me, worrying me for some time and I just had to get it off my chest.

It'll be something much more worth thinking about; the role of law enforcement in today's society and the dilemmas many of the people behind the uniform are dealing with, fighting with every single day.

We hear and see many stories or reports on police and law enforcement these days. Many of them are bad, some of them are good.
Police in the US of A are often the ones on the "not good"-side with shootings, killings and wanton violence used and shown by them. Here in Sweden the highest ranking officer declared a solidarity with the perpetrator (of a non-native origin) after he knifed down a woman in the back and in Danish media there are officers claiming that they will do as told, when politicians decide to search incoming refugees for valuables and taking those away from the people. In Paris, France policemen showed up en masse in order to quell any form of gathering by protesters, but leaving other gatherings completely alone. And the list goes on and on.....
Often those seem to be the actions or decisions of individuals, but with all those stories combined a pattern emerges. An ugly, dangerous pattern. It seems that legitimate, honest and honorable policemen have gradually, but continuously been replaced by goons, thugs and people with lower moral standards. Servants that are bound to their master's fait, either by stance, by character or by enforced dependence.

Policemen in Sweden are also under pressure and maybe even under attack! Stories about policemen complaining or outright quitting their jobs are numerous, because it is impossible for them to do their job in ways that match their code of honour and their conscience. And I do get the feeling that it is not just the workload, but also the rules and guidelines enforced upon them by politicians through their own superiors within the force. It has gone so far that policemen openly criticize their high ranking superiors, which might as well be a death sentence for any further career.

It feels like many of the good guys and gals are being bullied into leaving the korps, making room for those that are willing to do their master's bidding without questioning, without thinking about morals and ethics or to just create a base of power for themselves. People with that attitude, armed, in a position of power and backed up by their superiors..... We have seen it happen before and we know the consequences.
Ever wondered why police forces everywhere are being equipped with military or military grade hardware??? That's control/suppression of the masses, not law enforcement.

Being a former officer myself I have seen it happen; regular officers revolting against their superiors or leaving the force, simply because power hungry, autocratic or people with otherwise questionable motives or stances called the shots and those were regularly incompatible with the codes of honor and conscience of the regular blue coat on the streets.
I have seen the gradual, but noticeable decline in professional integrity within the force.

There are many of the good ones trapped within this institution. Forced to remain and endure the dubious or outright wrong doings of their colleagues or superiors. Forced, because they too are providers for their families, because they too need to pay bills and get food on the table or because they feel that they not only need to fight crime on the streets, but within the force itself!

As for me I have a hard time seeing all these negative images around the police. I still hold the profession and those within those uniforms in very high regard. It is a very tough job and a respectable and honourable one too and I wish we could figure out a way with which we could keep it that way, but that would require a total redesign of our current political and social system. yet I do feel that each and every "good cop" has a responsibility and a moral obligation to stem the downfall of their profession, just as everyone one else has that in order to stem the downfall of our society. After all cops are just as human as we are.

Do not judge a person for the uniform (s)he is wearing, but also remember a police(wo)man might uphold the law, but that does not automatically mean (s)he is serving justice as well!

3 comments:

"I still hold the profession and those within those uniforms in very high regard. It is a very tough job and a respectable and honourable one too and I wish we could figure out a way with which we could keep it that way, but that would require a total redesign of our current political and social system. yet I do feel that each and every "good cop" has a responsibility and a moral obligation to stem the downfall of their profession, just as everyone one else has that in order to stem the downfall of our society."

It's become such a challenging profession to balance, and I empathize with the series of stands and compromises that have to be made by officers, each day, and then be held in high-stakes accountability for those decisions after.

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